The £3m Olympic extension

October 18, 2006

Updated: Monday, June 7, 2010 (09:57)

A £3MILLION facelift and extension will turn Huntingdon s Olympic Gymnastics Club into a training ground for athletes taking part in the 2012 London Olympics. Huntingdonshire District Council s development control panel approved the scheme on Monday nigh

A £3MILLION facelift and extension will turn Huntingdon's Olympic Gymnastics Club into a training ground for athletes taking part in the 2012 London Olympics.

Huntingdonshire District Council's development control panel approved the scheme on Monday night.

Now the club has launched a huge fundraising campaign to pay for the work.

Club secretary Erica MacKenzie said: "This is really exciting news for the club and the local community. Everyone has been so positive about the work and we have already applied for a £500,000 grant from Sport England. We now need to find a fundraiser who will help us raise the money we need for the work."

The work will start as soon as a builder has been found and will include a new training hall, dance studio, internet cafe and space for indoor bowls. The existing building in Claytons Way will also be refurbished and a new access built from Mayfield Road.

The plans, which have been put together by Granta Architects, will also include the extension of the car parking facilities from 24 spaces to 98.

The refurbishment work also aims to make the building, which was originally designed as a builders merchant and converted in to a gym in the 1990s, more energy efficient and easier for disabled people to use.

It is hoped the extension will allow the gym, which currently has a waiting list of hundreds and is used by about 1,000 people each week, to expand its membership.

Mrs MacKenzie, added: "We want to branch out and cater more for the local community by extending our membership and offering more choice like fitness classes such as pilates and belly dancing. We want the Huntingdon Olympic Gym to be a facility used by Cambridgeshire residents as well as world class athletes."